SDF Macross Episodes 11 and 12 – Metal Gear Max

When we last left the Macross’s recon team they were fighting hand to hand inside a Zentradi ship in an attempt to rescue Misa. Overpowered by Commander Britai’s hand to hand fighting ability, the team puts up a good fight but eventually Hikaru, Kakizaki, and Misa are captured and Max sucked out a hull breach in his Valkyrie. Now the Zentradi attempt to learn more about their foes, and investigate possible links to a ‘protoculture’ in the humans. Get ready for CQC, kissu, and the original Macross music and fighting scene!

As Crusader put it, Captain Kirk ain’t got nothing on Britai.

Still the most dangerous man in known space.

Hikaru put up a valiant effort though.

Mecha bodyslam!

Britai counters with the Vader throw.

The three humans wake up inside the Zentradi equivalent of a bug jar, with Kakizaki apparently no worse for wear from that devastating hit that Britai landed on his VF-1 at the end of the previous episode. Misa gets the idea to take video while on board to bring back as intelligence, but then she and Hikaru get into a stupid argument first about whether it’s worth it to try and take advantage of the situation for recon, and then about whether women should be in the military. And soon, the Zentradi will learn the hard way not to underestimate Max, the Blue Baron, as he is clinging to the ship’s hull waiting for the right time to strike. Then the ship folds, to destinations unknown.

They should have added one of those little hamster water bottles and an exercise wheel.

Maybe Minmay’s ideas have gotten to him. Or this is just a case of 1980’s/Japan.

Misa would kick your ass if she didn’t need your help to escape. Wait till you get back to the Macross…

Britai and I are on the same wavelength, I facepalmed too.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: infiltrate the Zentradi ship, rescue the hostages, escape, and become an even bigger suave, yet deadly, badass.

Since fold travel has a time dilation effect, ten days have passed back on the Macross while only a few seem to have gone by on the Zentradi ship. The bridge crew first holds out hope that the recon flight’s communications gear is malfunctioning, but after several days Roy decides to tell Minmay that Hikaru is missing, on the eve of her debut. Her fame having exploded since the Miss Macross contest, Minmay is constantly preparing for her singing debut and participating in advertisements and interviews while worrying about Hikaru. Hikaru meanwhile has a flashback to before he left, where Minmay tells him about the debut. Teasing him like the cruel, fickle idol she is, she says that the title of her song “My Boyfriend is a Pilot” is kind of like a joke, as if their relationship was, and then proceeding to try to lure him along by saying that maybe she’ll give him a private show. Facepalm #2. Back on the Zentradi ship, the captives see that the ship has folded into the middle of a massive Zentradi fleet, with an asteroid base at its center.

Now don’t get emo now Minmay, you’re already plenty crazy.

Now they need a commercial for the UN Marines with Minmay going through a series of traps and fighting a lava monster. (Wow, that commercial was cheesier looking than I remembered.)

Hikaru: “Why Minmay that’s so nice of you, I’m glad we’ve firmly established our relationship.”

And you’re like, a bitch.

Space Fortress Apple Core.

The Zentradi ship then docks with the interior of the base so that Britai can present his captives to Supreme Commander Bodolzza of the 118^th Main Fleet. Max, now having entered the ship, is sneaking around the corridors trying to locate his comrades. As he’s nearly spotted he ducks into the nearest door, which happens to be to a bathroom. He’s then surprised by a Zentradi entering the room, but uses quick thinking to turn what could be misfortune into an advantage. Quickly kicking and then dispatching the Zentradi, he steals his uniform and leaves the body in the bathroom.

The stern was obviously influenced by some WWII Japanese aircraft carrier design.

As can be seen here with the aircraft carrier Akagi (picture from GlobalSecurity.org.)

Pic only tangentially related (Zero from the Akagi at Pearl Harbor) but hilarious enough that I had to share. Found this on the blog Ant Sized Man, which has some really cool models. Check it out.

He didn’t have a box to hide in.

Check for the idol pictures in the lockers Max!

Shhhhh, shhhh.

The three captives are then brought before Bodolzza for interrogation. There is a great deal of misunderstanding and confusion on the part of the Zentradi in the course of their questioning. For one, the Zentradi don’t understand the concept of civilians, finding meaning only in battle. To demonstrate their power, the Zentradi let their captives witness the orbital bombardment of a nearby world, making it uninhabitable. While Hikaru is willing to keep answering their questions, Misa refuses, and then bluffs the Zentradi based on their apparent confusion and perhaps fear of the humans. Elsewhere, Max continues to search for his comrades.

Excellent Britai, these figures are very detailed!

In the grim darkness of the 3rd millennium, there is only war.

Best dressed VF-1 since the Armor Pack version.

Are they using mass drivers?

DC on that bluff check?

Then things get weird when the Zentradi ask their captives how they came to be miclones and where they come from. Kakizaki embarrassed, tries to be subtle and mentions love and kissing and Hikaru points out that they are born from mothers. These concepts shock the Zentradi, who apparently are cloned or grown and whose men and women do not mix. Bodolzza then demands that the humans show them how this works, and threatens to kill Misa if two humans don’t kiss. After a momentary standoff since the only two free humans are straight men, Misa gets herself released and orders Hikaru to kiss her. The Zentradi are then both intrigued and freaked out, with Bodolzza leaving the room in terror.

MacBeth would have met an earlier end were he a Zentradi.

Obviously you’re not familiar with fanfiction.

Participating in experiments under pain of death ain’t cheatin.

Quarantine the room, the cooties could contaminate the whole ship!

The Zentradi then reconvene without the captives to discuss their findings. The Zentradi Genshiken reports their ‘warm’ feelings in their hearts while their commanders and archivist discuss possible links to a protoculture, a race that has spelled doom for any Zentradi that have encountered them. They suspect that the humans may be somehow part of this civilization, one that was lost when the Zentradi began to focus only on war and conquest. Meanwhile on the Macross Minmay makes her singing debut before an enthusiastic crowd, while Hikaru, Misa, and Kakizaku start planning for their escape, with another kiss as a distraction suggested by Hikaru, though initially opposed by Misa.

Max continues to stalk the corridors, finally locating his comrades.

It’s no Kimi ni Mune Kyun.

Practicing those trademark hand movements.

I’ve always wanted to see more of this great couple.

Everyone wants a Misa kissu!

Concluding their discussion, the Zentradi commanders decide to put some spies aboard the Macross to find out more about the humans and their society. Volunteering is the Genshiken boys, despite having to ‘endure’ being miclonized for the job they’re eager to once again encounter the civilians and those things that made their hearts warm. In their cell, the three UN soldiers are preparing their escape attempt and Hikaru and Misa kiss as the door opens for the approaching Zentradi. All are eager to return, and Misa has recorded important intelligence during their captivity.They are then surprised to find Max in his VF-1, who proceeds to epically mock them before giving them a lift.

The Society for the Study of Modern Miclone Visual Culture has been given an important mission.

A final secret episode of Big O with an ending that actually makes sense?

Max knows a decent couple when he sees it. Get in the other pocket you third wheel!

Troll on.

Hikaru X Misa is Max’s OTP.

Shortly after being freed Max’s cover is blown, and the escape turns from quiet exit to open close quarters combat. Once again the Blue Baron demonstrates his prowess in battle, easily handling some Zentradi hand to hand and then flying down the corridor to evade others. Just as Britai is being informed of their escape, Max’s VF-1 bursts through the viewscreen for awesomeness and epoch lulz. The chase continues after the Valkyries gets shot up and disabled, with the four splitting up into groups of 2 on foot.

Improvised weaponry.

Breaking and entering.

The Zentradi uniform just makes it look cooler.

Utilizing his VF-1 to the last, Max’s Valkyrie explodes to take out the pursuing Zentradi.

While on the run and trying to find the other group and a way out, Hikaru and Misa find what the Zentradi appear to use to miclonize themselves into human size. Running farther along, they’re noticed by a Zentradi who grabs Misa and knocks Hikaru back into a pile of rifles. Misa’s video recorder is destroyed during this, but Hikaru at least manages to somehow prop up a rifle (they use very light plastics/composites?) and kills the Zentradi soldier. Misa succumbs to a moment of despair when the recorder is broken, but her spirits are quickly restored by Hikaru’s determination to get everyone back.

Ah, I remember these from a particularly traumatic scene in Frontier.

Max’s rifle reminds me a lot of the stormtrooper rifles in the old Star Wars movies. You know, the good Star Wars movies.

The previously pointed out to me galactic dust bin.

He built it in a cave out of spare parts.

What is it about Hikaru that brings out the “pull yourself together man” moments with the girls?

After being pursued further through the station Hikaru and Misa end up falling into the lower reaches of the ship. In an area flooded do to poor maintenance, they make several observations about the Zentradi as well as talking about Misa’s past and Hikaru’s current romantic prospects with Minmay. Apparently the Zentradi have lost the ability to do proper repairs, focusing only on actual combat. Misa also observes that it’s sad that the Zentradi have lost their culture, lives away from military campaigns, and their civilization in the pursuit of power.

The Zentradi are lucky they didn’t shoot their captives, I thought the orders to recapture them still stood.

Misa with her hair down is definitely better than those cinnamon bun curls.

So this is a Russian Navy ship?

Early ambitions, dedication, a lineage of military service, top rank at the academy. It must only be her relative youth that has kept her from rising beyond Lieutenant.

Doesn’t seem so harsh to me.

Misa, along with Max, is highly adept at trolling/teasing. That expression says it all.

The Genshiken Team finishes their miclonization and is put into a capsule for insertion into the Macross, while the task of deploying them is given to Commander Laplamiz, the first female Zentradi we’re aware of up to this point. Meanwhile Hikaru and Misa follow the moving air to an exit, and meet up with Max and Kakizaki who were following the same route out. Seeing a ship being loaded with supplies, Max surmises that it will be leaving soon and the group takes a chance on boarding it. Fortunately for them it’s Laplamiz’s ship, taking them directly to the Macross. Onboard the commander assigns the task of inserting the spy team to her ace pilot Milia, who launches in a new Zentradi design while the ship’s forces create a diversion. To escape, the humans team up to operate the controls of a battle pod, blasting their way out of the hangar deck.

Loli Dosel?

Misa and Hikaru, delighted to find the other pilots.

MUCH better looking than their male counterparts. Not a weird deformity or terrible haircut to be found so far.

The Queadluun: pretty cool for a Zentradi design.

Inside the battle pod the crew notices a battle going on, and after figuring out the communications system the discover that they are in fact near the Macross. Meanwhile the battle takes place to Minmay’s singing of “My Boyfriend is a Pilot”, showing us the first of the Macross signature space battles set to pop music. After contacting the UN forces, the captured Zentradi battlepod is brought back in to the Macross.

Size differences certainly produce some interesting situations in this series.

That expression may be a little too much.

As long as you don’t sing Aimo.

Got a MAJOR Zeta Gundam vibe from the interior shots of Milia’s Queadluun.

Milia is quite the pilot, easily dispatching several Valkyries and quickly dropping off the spy team.

Finally returning safe and sound to the Macross. Well, except for that redshirt who piloted the Cats Eye.

Final Thoughts: – Max is just going to be unstoppable at this rate. Am I seeing the prototype or original version of the main male character not being the best pilot like in Frontier?

- I’m hoping Milia provides some Ace Combat in the future.

- Need more Roy and Claudia.

- What fun episodes. The Max infiltration and rescue parts, good hand to hand combat, the weirdness of the interrogation scene and how different the Zentradi really are.